[Chapter-delegates] ISOC and NEPAD sign MoU of cooperation to promote the use of the Internet

[Constance Bommelaer]

Dear Members,

This is to announce that the Internet Society (ISOC) and the New Partnership
for Africa's Development Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA) have agreed
to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the development and
use of the Internet for the benefit of Africa's people. 

Recently, NEPAD has stepped up with a critical mandate: the e-Africa
Programme of the NEPAD Agency is charged with spearheading the development
of ICT in Africa within the vision and context of NEPAD. In the past year,
ISOC, and specifically its Regional Bureau for Africa, has progressively
developed a strong working relationship with this organization. In
particular, in June 2010, ISOC supported the Information Society Partnership
for Africa's Development (ISPAD) meeting in Dakar that brought together
governments, business and civil society to discuss on the major initiatives
of NEPA e-Africa.
 
ISOC has a long standing working relationship with regional authorities,
civil society, business and the technical community in Africa where it
decided in 2006 to establish its first Regional Bureau. In particular, the
IETF fellowship and the NGL programs help many Africans to contribute to the
development of Internet Standards and become active participants in Internet
governance and policy forums such as the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). 

Completion of this MoU is an important step for ISOC as it gives us the
opportunity to leverage our efforts to implement continental and regional
projects aiming at developing access to the Internet. With NEPAD as a key
partner in Africa, we will expand the scope of our initiatives aiming at
helping Africans develop their Internet infrastructure, and becoming active
players in the future of the Internet. 

We will keep you informed of our work in this important forum as we deepen
our engagement.

Read more about ISOC's international partnerships:
http://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/community/ 

 
Best,

Constance Bommelaer
Senior Manager
Strategic Global Engagement
Internet Society (ISOC)

Dawit Bekele
Regional Bureau Manager for Africa
Internet Society (ISOC)